Indefatigable Info

Indefatigable is an adjective that is used to describe something or someone that is incapable of being fatigued, or not yielding to fatigue. Needless to say, it is extremely useful in a variety of different situations

Originally, the word itself comes from a Latin predecessor: indēfatīgābilis, which basically means the same thing. Of course, it is pronounced with a subtle difference – mostly due to the general differences in pronunciation between Latin and English.

Indefatigable Usage

Being a lengthy word, indefatigable is not something that you’d normally hear in colloquial conversation. Related words are often used in place of it, and so it isn’t really all that popular.

That being said, it does have a prominent place in literature – and several authors and philosophers have often used it.

Thomas Hobbes, the British philosopher, used it in the famous quote, “Man is distinguished, not only by his reason; but also by this singular passion from other animals … which is a lust of the mind, that by a perseverance of delight in the continual and indefatigable generation of knowledge, exceeds the short vehemence of any carnal pleasure.”

In this situation, indefatigable is used to describe the pursuit of knowledge while not yielding to fatigue.

Indefatigable Synonyms and Antonyms

Five of the most common synonyms for the word indefatigable are: inexhaustible, unflagging, weariless, tireless, and untiring. Another synonym that is often used is persevering.

As you can see, the meaning is roughly intact throughout all these words. Some people claim that persevering does not necessarily mean indefatigable exactly, but it is still widely accepted as a synonym.

On the other hand, antonyms for indefatigable are slightly harder to come across – with the most accurate is simply the word defatigable.

Because this word is so rare though, and in some cases not accepted, more often than not people use other similar antonyms to indefatigable, such as: lethargic, unenergetic, laggard, indolent, slothful, drained, sapped, and so on.

Strictly speaking, these aren’t true antonyms as they mostly denote a lack of energy rather than a capability of being fatigued (which would be what the true antonym would denote).

Indefatigable Derived Terms

Stemming from the word indefatigable, there are several derived terms that are worth knowing too. These include:

Indefatigably – an adverb that describes an action taken in a persistent and untiring manner.
Indefatigableness – a noun to denote the state of being incapable of being fatigued.
Indefatigability – a noun that similarly denotes the state of not yielding to fatigue.

As you can see, these terms are all quite bulky. As a result, they are rarely used with most people opting to use other equivalents instead (of which there are many).

Despite not being the most common term out there, indefatigable is certainly a useful word to know. Being an adjective, it will most certainly add to your ability to describe certain situations – should they ever arise.

Let’s face it, at the end of the day knowing additional and alternative adjectives is never a waste, and in a nutshell, you could indefatigably pursue the use of the word indefatigable.